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Just finished it. I had a hard time with this one. Reason is I own two cats and it was hard to like Doc when you consider what he did with cats.

I did enjoy the book but, I don't think it will be among my favorites of his.

I really enjoyed Cannery Row, once again he is a master of description, the part of the book where they get caught camping on the bird hunters property and end up taking home the puppy was great. Doc really is a memorable character. I can see why this novel is still loved, just a good read over all.

If you liked Cannery Row you might want to follow up with Sweet Thursday, which is its sequel.

It's the only time Steinbeck revisited a setting and characters. He wrote Sweet Thursday while getting over the death of his friend Ed Ricketts, who was the real-life Doc. It's a sweet and lighthearted tribute to his friend.

Ed Ricketts was a fascinating character. A pioneer in marine ecology, he wrote a book (Between Pacific Tides Fifth Edition) which is still considered a standard reference work for marine ecologists, yet he did not hold a university degree.

Ed Ricketts was perhaps the single most important influence on Steinbeck. They had similar interests, and Ricketts' thinking lies behind all of Steinbeck's early work. His circle of friends included Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell, who no doubt also influenced Steinbeck.

Ricketts appears all over Steinbeck's books. He is portrayed directly in Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, as "Friend Ed" in Burning Bright, and also in the short story "The Snake" from The Long Valley. And after finishing The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck took off on a scientific expedition with Ricketts, over the objections of his agent, which produced a nonfiction book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez. That book contains some of Ricketts' own writing (the chapter "A Sunday Sermon"), edited by Steinbeck.

His influence crops up repeatedly as the "Doc" figure found in most of Steinbeck's novels, the philosopher-scientist who serves to inject Steinbeck's own thoughts into the story: Doc Burton in In Dubious Battle, Doctor Winter in The Moon Is Down, Lee in East of Eden, and Jim Casy in The Grapes of Wrath, for example.

So there's more than you ever wanted to know about Doc in Cannery Row. Follow that thread through Steinbeck's novels and you'll definitely feel his influence on Steinbeck.

And if you get really, really fascinated with Doc Ricketts, Beyond the Outer Shores is a recent biography.

Thanks I hadn't realized that about the character of Doc. As I said before there were parts of Cannery Row I had enjoyed. Part of my difficulty with this book was probably because I was reading some of Mark Twain's short stories which caused me to lose the thread of Cannery Row.

East of Eden will probably remain my favorite. Loved Lee in that book.

I used to live in Monterey, just above Cannery Row. I really enjoyed being able to read the book and then walk down to the row and see the places I was reading about. The book really "got me into" the character of "Doc" (Ed Ricketts in real life), and I even studied to become a marine biologist for awhile.
It's one of my all-time favorite books.

I just completed rereading and absolutely loved it, although I don't remember particularly liking it during previous reads. Nothing much really happens, but it is a perfect snapshot of a time and place, and very lovingly depicts working class folk. I love the chapters that are little digressions, like the one about the gopher and the boy whose father committed suicide. They make the book a rich and tasty treat.

Anyone who loves Cannery Row would love this: - This new album is inspired by the book, and it realllly shows! Go give it a listen.

Thanks for posting the link!